1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable air purifiers. More particularly it relates to a device adapted to provide air purification inside a structure while concurrently providing clothes dryer and humidifier functions.
2. Prior Art
Air pollution and seasonal occurrences of pollen and dust are a major cause of illness and allergies to persons worldwide. This is especially true in industrialized countries where air pollution can cause severe reactions in people sensitive to particulate and chemicals released into the air by factories and vehicles.
As a consequence, for many people, air purifiers have gone from a convenience to a necessity necessary for their health.
Conventionally, such air purifiers employ a fan to move room air through one or a plurality of filters to remove dust, pollen, and other pollutants. Some air conditioners may also employ ionic technology to induce a charge to particulate so as to cause it to attach to wall surfaces or to filter surfaces more readily.
The fan and electronic components of such air purifiers consume energy during their use because of the constant employment of an electric fan and other components to move room air through the device during the filtration process. While the result may be cleaner room air inside the building, much energy is employed for this single task of air cleaning.
Because such air cleansing devices already employ components to cause the forced movement of air through and from a housing for the filtration system, they might also be employed for concurrent tasks which might take advantage of the air movement for other purposes. By increasing the potential work the air filtration device might accomplish, for the same amount of energy, such air filtering devices can save the user money and save valuable energy which is especially good for the environment.
In order to accomplish such tasks, the conventional air purifier needs to be modified to provide the ability to steer exhausted air from the housing, to do other tasks to which such a moving air flow can be well adapted.
One such task is the air drying of fine clothing such as silk, and other clothing which requires air drying rather than tumbling in a clothes dryer. The conventional manner for air drying of clothing is to hang the clothing on a clothes hanger in an open area in the room. Drying in this manner can take hours and tends to cause the clothing to develop winkles where it hangs on the hanger. Rust can even occur if left on metal hangers for long periods of time. Fans are sometimes employed by persons trying to speed up the process, however such fans direct airflow toward the drying clothing from the side, and this can cause damage to adjacent clothing from abrasion when the clothing hanging on a hanger is moved by the fan and continually slides and contacts clothing hanging on either side.
Another task frequently required, especially in cold climates and in homes in the desert or at high altitudes, is the humidifying of the air inside a structure. In areas where the outside temperature drops below freezing for long periods, the air inside a home or office can become extremely dry. This dry air can cause nasal and throat problems to persons exposed to it over long periods. Further, wood and other surfaces in the structure can become over-dry causing damage from shrinkage and other dry air problems.
Frequently employed for this task is the boiling of water to impart steam and thus moisture into the air, or the employment of ultra sonic devices which impart moisture particles into the air from a reservoir. The use of heat to make steam consumes large amounts of energy at significant cost and ultra sonic devices are both expensive and also use electricity to impart humidity back into the room air.
A device, such as the one disclosed herein, which can employ the same air cleaning apparatus to also dry clothing and to concurrently humidify the air inside a structure would be especially convenient to users. Such a device would also provide savings in energy from the requirement that only one device be energized to do the work of three.
Prior art has attempted to address multi-tasking when it comes to clothes drying however such devices lack function and structure to provide concurrent cleaning, drying, and humidifying.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,792 (Herbert) teaches a portable sports dryer for drying wearing apparel having a rigid support tube for with an open end for engaging with a clothing article for supporting it above the dryer. An electric blower communicates with the hollow support tube for circulating air to dry the clothing article, such as a sock. However, Herbert lacks support for hangers engageable with larger clothing items and any means to purify the air coming through the housing.
Another attempt at clothes drying is U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,006 (Conley) which discloses a garment de-wrinkler. Conely, while heating the overhead clothing from below, employs a conventional a garment bag with a threaded opening to communicate steam to the interior of the bag. While the clothes are engaged from below an overhead hanging position, they are steamed rather than dried and the air moving through the housing is not filtered nor is the room-air humidified.
Other devices in the prior art, employ singular tasking components to dry clothing or to humidify air, or to clean room air, individually. However, none employ the clean moving air directed from the housing of an air filtration device to evenly dry overhead hanging clothing, nor do they handle this task in a manner that will concurrently impart clean air and moisture to the surrounding room.
As such, there is a continuing unmet need for an improved air filtration device, which will concurrently provide drying of clothing with clean air that will not soil the clothing. Such a device should provide a clean airflow to clothing from below all of the overhanging clothing to evenly dry the interior hanging clothes as well as garments on the exterior of the hanging support. Such a device should direct air at the clothing in a manner that will not cause adjacent pieces of clothing to rub upon each other thereby alleviating the potential for damage to the clothing. Finally, such a device should be employable to use the moisture from the clothing being dried, to humidify room air. By concurrently providing the means for three separate activities normally handled by three appliances, such a device will save energy and be good for the environment.